gear oil / engine oil

T

tommyb

New Member
Jan 18, 2010
6
Denmark
Boat Info
270 sundancer
1995
Engines
502 MPI w/Bravo III duoprop
Anyone using gear oil or engine oil for MerCruiser Bravo III outdrive and MerCruiser engine, other than MerCruiser brand, if yes what brand/type, experience ?
 
The first year we had our boat the previous owner's yard did the spring commissioning and used a good quality non Mercruiser brand. The engine consumed about two quarts (~ 2 liters) over 75 hours. The next year and (following four) our yard used the Merc brand and we have not consumed a drop. As an FYI there are two types Merc gear oils, one recommended specifically for the BIII, the other is not. I can't remember the specific name, but the BIII gear oil is the one dyed blue green.

Henry
 
Henry are you sure about that?? I thought the blue/green was just the Hi-performance gear oil, meaning the better more expensive one. I've been using the Hi-Performance/green/blue, for years in everything from BI, B2, BIII, and now alphas.:huh:
 
Why? You spend thousands on a boat and try to save a few bucks on cheap oil and lube. Pony up the money and use the correct fluids
 
Has anyone used the Amsoil HP Gear lube? I use the HP Merc stuff now but a friend became an Amsoil dealer and I can get it at a good price. I used to run the engine oil in my cars and race cars and liked it then.
 
susanandlance said:
Henry are you sure about that?? I thought the blue/green was just the Hi-performance gear oil, meaning the better more expensive one. I've been using the Hi-Performance/green/blue, for years in everything from BI, B2, BIII, and now alphas.:huh:
Click to expand...

Merc Hi-Performance Gear Lube (Blue/Green)= REQUIRED for Bravo 3, Recommended for Alpha

Merc Standard Gear Lube (Brownish)= Alpha Only



Also, to the OP, you can get Merc Lubricants from these guys more reasonable than most places. I just buy the 2.5 Gallon Gear Lube

http://www.mertenmarine.com/servlet/StoreFront
 
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Molson said:
Has anyone used the Amsoil HP Gear lube? I use the HP Merc stuff now but a friend became an Amsoil dealer and I can get it at a good price. I used to run the engine oil in my cars and race cars and liked it then.
Click to expand...


Car engines and boat engines have two different operational lives. Its not the same thing.


wish2fish said:
Might want to check your shop. My local dealer/shop was using Seirra brand.
Click to expand...

I believe that Sierra brand parts are made by Mercury, but sold outside the Mercury brand sales channel of "approved" dealers and service providers.

Henry
 
i used the 2 stroke Amsoil in my Johnson outboard for years. It's a great oil. The engine smoked a lot less than normal 2 storkes. I also ran nothing but Amsoil in all of my engines when I has the marine constrcution company. I wouldn't hesitate to use it again. All in all it's probably a better oil than Mercs.
 
Henry Boyd said:


I believe that Sierra brand parts are made by Mercury, but sold outside the Mercury brand sales channel of "approved" dealers and service providers.

Henry
Click to expand...

I believe you are thinking of Quicksilver. That is Merc's out of dealer network brand.

Sierra is a generic parts manufacturer.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk
 
I realize that, I was asking about the Amsoil Marine gear lube for lower units (for boats)


Henry Boyd said:
Car engines and boat engines have two different operational lives. Its not the same thing.




I believe that Sierra brand parts are made by Mercury, but sold outside the Mercury brand sales channel of "approved" dealers and service providers.

Henry
Click to expand...
 
What is the recommended oil for my 350 Mags, MerCruiser regular, blended, or full synthetic?
 
JimG said:
What is the recommended oil for my 350 Mags, MerCruiser regular, blended, or full synthetic?
Click to expand...

Full synthetic... but then a manufacturer will always recommend their latest and greatest (and, usually, $$). The reality is that either of those three choices are perfectly fine for your engine.
 
The Quick Silver/Mercruiser type is the same as Mercruiser Hi-Performance that the dealer sells, only you can buy the QS Hi-Performance at most Walmarts, and save BIG over buying from your local Merc dealer.
 
The price was not the issue, but simply experience with other oil than Quicksilver/mercruiser product.
spfortjohn said:
Why? You spend thousands on a boat and try to save a few bucks on cheap oil and lube. Pony up the money and use the correct fluids
Click to expand...
 
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I'm sure Amsoil makes superior products, I use it in my Suburban and Harley-Davidson, it's darn good stuff, and I bet their stuff is just as good or better than mercruiser stuff.:grin:
 
This can be a subject that is very emotional for people, often without a lot of science to back up statements other than anectotal reports.

I am not a big believer in using products just because it is branded. If I can find no suitable substitute then sure I will use brand name products. I will also use name brand products if it works well and does not have an exorbatant price associated with it. You hear quite a few comments about spending thousands of dollars on a boat so why become cheap now when it comes to maintenence items. To me it is not about the cost but about value. Why pay for advertising only if I do not have to?

My biggest complaint about mercruiser hi performance gear oil is they do not specify the viscosity or the API grade. I asked a similar question on this forum several years ago and was able to recieve no answer as to what SAE viscosity or API grade mercruiser recommends. Mercruiser keeps it a secret I guess. My volvo stern drive has a volvo specific lube recommended also, but Volvo also specifies 75W90 viscosity with API Service GL-5. I happen to use mobil 1 lube in both the volvo and the bravo 3 sterndrive. If you want to know something about the mobil 1 specification it is easy to find.

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English...bil_1_Fully_Synthetic_Gear_Lube_75W-90LS.aspx

John
 
I have stuck with the Mercruiser gear lube because they won't share any specifications, so I do not know how to evaluate options. The engine oil is a different story. I used Merc branded oil last year and did an oil analysis year end. It sheared to a 20 weight oil, exactly what Merc claims their oil won't do. Never again for me. There are lots of alternatives, and since they refer to a spec, I can make an informed decision on what to substitute.
 
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